In the northeastern hills
outside Kyoto, Japan there is a mountain known as Mount Hiei. That mountain is
littered with unmarked graves.
Those graves mark the
final resting place of the Tendai Buddhist monks who have failed to complete a
quest known as the Kaihogyo.
What is this quest that kills so many of the monks?
And what can you and I learn from it?
Keep reading and I’ll
tell you.
The Marathon Monks
The Tendai monks believe
that enlightenment can be achieved during your current life, but only through
extreme self–denial.
For the Tendai, the
ultimate act of self–denial — and the route to enlightenment — is a physical
challenge known as the Kaihogyo. Because of this challenge, the Tendai are
often called the “Marathon Monks.”
But the Kaihogyo is much
more than a marathon.
The Kaihogyo
The Kaihogyo is a 1,000
day challenge that takes place over seven years. If a monk chooses to undertake
this challenge, this is what awaits him…
During Year 1, the monk must run 30 km per day (about 18
miles) for 100 straight days.
During Year 2, the monk must again run 30 km per day for
100 straight days.
During Year 3, the monk must once more run 30 km per day
for 100 straight days.
During Year 4, the monk must run 30 km per day. This time
for 200 straight days.
During Year 5, the monk must again run 30 km per day for
200 straight days. After completing the fifth year of running, the monk must go
9 consecutive days without food, water, or rest. Two monks stand beside him at
all times to ensure that he does not fall asleep.
During Year 6, the monk must run 60 km (about 37 miles) per
day for 100 straight days.
During Year 7, the monk must run 84 km (about 52 miles) per
day for 100 straight days. (52 miles per day!) And then, he must run 30 km per
day for the final 100 days.
The sheer volume of
running is incredible, of course, but there is one final challenge that makes
The Kaihogyo unlike any other feat…
Day 101
During the first 100 days
of running, the monk is allowed to withdraw from the Kaihogyo.
However, from Day 101
onwards, there is no withdrawal. The monk must either complete the Kaihogyo …
or take his own life. Because of this, the monks carry a length of rope and a
short sword at all times on their journey.
In the last 400+ years,
only 46 men have completed the challenge. Many others can be found by their
unmarked graves on the hills of Mount Hiei.
3 Lessons on Mental Toughness and Commitment
The mental toughness of
the Marathon Monks is incredible and their feats are unlike most challenges
that you and I will face. But, there are still many lessons we can learn from
them.
1. “Complete
or Kill.”
The Marathon Monks are an
extreme version of the “complete or kill” mentality. But you can take the same
approach to your goals, projects, and work.
If something is important
to you, complete it. If not, kill it.
If you’re anything like
me, then you probably have a bunch of half–finished, half–completed projects
and ideas. You don’t need all of those loose ends.
Either something is
important enough to you to complete, or it’s time to kill it. Fill your life
with goals that are worth finishing and eliminate the rest.
2. If you
commit to nothing, you’re distracted by everything.
Most of us never face a
challenge with the true possibility of death, but we can learn a lot from the
monk’s sense of commitment and conviction. They have clarified exactly what
they are working toward and for seven years they organise their life around the
goal of completing the Kaihogyo. Every possible distraction is rendered
unimportant.
Do you think the monks
get distracted by TV, movies, the internet, celebrity gossip, or any of the
other things that we so often waste time on?
Of course not.
If you choose, you can
make a similar decision in your life. Sure, your daily goals may not carry the
same sense of urgency as the Kaihogyo, but that doesn’t mean you can’t approach
them with the same sense of conviction.
We all have things that
we say are important to us. You might say that you want to lose weight or be a
better parent or create work that matters or build a successful business or
write a book — but do you make time for these goals above all else? Do your
organise your day around accomplishing them?
If you commit to nothing,
then you’ll find that it’s easy to be distracted by everything.
3. It doesn’t
matter how long your goal will take, just get started.
On Day 101, the Tendai
monks are thousands of miles and 900 days from their goal. They are setting out
on a journey that is so long and so arduous that it’s almost impossible for you
and I to imagine. And yet, they still accept the full challenge. Day after day,
year after year, they work.
And seven years later,
they finish.
Don’t let the length of
your goals prevent you from starting on them.
"Never give up on a
dream just because of the length of time it will take to accomplish it. The
time will pass anyway." H. Jackson Brown
What Makes You Different From the Marathon Monks
There is one very
fortunate difference between you and the Tendai monks. You won’t die if you
don’t reach your goal! In the words of Seth Godin, you literally have the
“privilege of being wrong.” You won’t die if you fail, you’ll only learn.
Furthermore, you can
always change your mind. If you commit to a goal, work on it for a year, and
decide that this isn’t actually what you wanted … guess what? You’re free to
choose something else.
This should take a burden
off of your shoulders! You don’t have to worry about committing to the right
thing. If you’re debating between choices, just choose one. You can always
adjust later on.
You have the opportunity
to choose a goal that is important to you and the privilege of failing with
very little consequence. Don’t waste that privilege.
Where to Go From Here
The biggest lesson that
the Tendai monks offer for everyday people like you and me is the lesson of
commitment and conviction.
Imagine the sense of
commitment that the monk feels on Day 101. Imagine what it feels like to
embrace the final 900 days of that challenge. Imagine what it feels like to
accept a goal that is so important to you that you tell yourself, “I’m going to
finish this or I will die trying.”
If you have something
that is important to you, then eliminate the unrelated and unimportant tasks,
get started no matter how big the challenge, and commit to your goal.
Every big challenge has a turning point.
Today could be your Day 101.
Today could be your Day of Commitment.
I hope this helps you
to be outstanding.
One more thing before
you go......I would like you to do one important thing for me - spread the word
about this article.
That is all -
David
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